UK LPOTY 2021

It is not about the gate though the gate is point at which your eyes are drawn though the picture. The key aspects are the shapes and colours of the pathway. I would be happy if I had taken it.

Dave
 
SFTPhotography said:
Is it just me - or is the winner with the ugly metal gate completely underwhelming...

www.lpoty.co.uk

2023 Photography Competition - Landscape Photographer of the Year

The Landscape Photographer of the Year competition celebrates all that is great about the British landscape. Competition entries open to all.
www.lpoty.co.uk
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thank you for sharing. As always with these competitions some shots are exceptional and some you wonder why they won.

For me its the youth photographer award with gulls lined up for fish and chips. I have a similar picture from Brighton on my phone somewhere :ROFLMAO:
Its funny and its a good bit of fun to share around social media (like I did with mine) but I have seen some exceptional landscape pictures taken by youth, that doesn't represent them well.

As for the overall winner the metal gate is a shame because the entire picture leads to it. But I appreciate his effort in composition and him waiting for the light at the right time to take that photograph.
 
nandbytes said:
thank you for sharing. As always with these competitions some shots are exceptional and some you wonder why they won.

For me its the youth photographer award with gulls lined up for fish and chips. I have a similar picture from Brighton on my phone somewhere :ROFLMAO:
Its funny and its a good bit of fun to share around social media (like I did with mine) but I have seen some exceptional landscape pictures taken by youth, that doesn't represent them well.

As for the overall winner the metal gate is a shame because the entire picture leads to it. But I appreciate his effort in composition and him waiting for the light at the right time to take that photograph.
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I didn't think much of that one either....

Not especially wowed so far.
 
Very underwhelming this year. I see better images of the UK daily on instagram than most of the winners this year. Not only that, but most of the winners are honeypot locations and the shots taken within 5 minutes of a car park, and aren’t original compositions either.

Does LPOTY stand for lazy photographer of the year?
 
Predictably another woodland image wins it. The gate was the first thing I noticed too. Some of my friends who have had stuff that's just been commended is better than the winners IMHO. It's always going to split opinion though, such is life.
 
Same old, same old... that's why I don't bother with it. But to be fair my 2020-21 landscapes are either miserable or non-existent at all due to obvious reasons so well done to those who managed that.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Same old, same old... that's why I don't bother with it. But to be fair my 2020-21 landscapes are either miserable or non-existent at all due to obvious reasons so well done to those who managed that.
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Exactly need to take it in perspective.
It's been a crap couple of years in general.
 
nandbytes said:
Exactly need to take it in perspective.
It's been a crap couple of years in general.
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It hasn't been great but like most things in life it's what you make of it that counts.

I'm right now in the Pyrenees - it wasn't without its hurdles coming here but worth it. Yes.

Last year saw me, and countless others shoot great landscapes at home. This year, I've seen some epic work from here and away. Just not in LPOTY
 
Dave Semmens said:
I was quite disappointed with some of the images. It is all subjective so we will all have our own opinions.

I entered an image taken within a mile of my house during the lockdowns that I absolutely love - nothing I entered got a look in.

Dave.
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I would have voted for you Dave.:)
 
Dave Canon said:
It is not about the gate though the gate is point at which your eyes are drawn though the picture. The key aspects are the shapes and colours of the pathway. I would be happy if I had taken it.

Dave
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This for me too, although it's the kind of shot I tend to do.
 
I used to live near 'the tunnel' at Halnaker where the winning image was taken. It's a well-known location but not seen many truly fantastic images taken there. I think it's nice, I probably wouldn't have picked it as the winner myself.

I am a bit surprised on the youth winner image representing the best of what was on offer by the youth entries.

I have almost all the LPOTY books and in every book, there are a number of images that I cannot understand how they were shortlisted, but I guess that comes down to the subjective nature of judging photography competitions and the varied judges.
 
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Some of the photos are nice - the snowy woodland, moon over the bridge and the jogger / birds stands out as my favourites.

Most are ok at best and I would have hoped for a couple of WOW images - but not seeing any of those.

The urban life winner for example is what any new street photographer would take. Find an interesting background and wait until someone walks through it.

Dave.
 
Received my copy of the book today, slightly different format and style than the previous 13 versions (published by ilex and not AA)

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I have read the book from cover to cover tonight and for my eyes the majority of images are truly fantastic. Having seen all of the youth finalists I have to say I’m stunned that there was not a different overall youth winner.
 
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I didn't like the winning image and some of the other winners. Thats just me though. I also thought some of the commended images etc were better than the winners. Some strange choices in there, which I feel have just been selected by personal choice rather than an impartial view. It's always the same with competitions. You literally will not please everyone, no matter what happens.

I don't think it helps that most of us see better photos everyday online that are better than the winners. As others have pointed out.

I blame the interwebz.
 
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furq said:
Better or worse, do you think?
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I think it's much the same as previous editions, there are a number of images that make me ponder how they were shortlisted, but overall most images are of a high standard IMHO. In this latest book i feel the most questionable decision is still the young photographer winner, nice fun image, but not a winner to me, is it even a landscape image?
 
ShrubMonkey said:
I think it's much the same as previous editions, there are a number of images that make me ponder how they were shortlisted, but overall most images are of a high standard IMHO. In this latest book i feel the most questionable decision is still the young photographer winner, nice fun image, but not a winner to me, is it even a landscape image?
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I haven't really studied the winners tbh. Was mildly curious about thre presentation because I saw someone mention the cover isn't glossy etc. Also the RRP is now £30.

I bought the last couple and barely looked at them. Not sure what that says about me or the competition/book.

But I'm fairly sure I could never get excited about another photo of, say, Durdle Door...
 
furq said:
But I'm fairly sure I could never get excited about another photo of, say, Durdle Door...
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Haha oh yes I agree. I would also add I'm not sure if there is a LPOTY book that doesn't feature Rannoch Moor images(s). As beautiful a place as it is, they could have a 'Rannoch Moor' category
 
ShrubMonkey said:
Haha oh yes I agree. I would also add I'm not sure if there is a LPOTY book that doesn't feature Rannoch Moor images(s). As beautiful a place as it is, they could have a 'Rannoch Moor' category
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Perhaps I am biased but Rannoch Moor sure as s*** is a more interesting landscape than just anothert forest scene.

The book is meant to showcase the best of the British isles. Is a boring path with an ugly metal fence at the end of it really the best they can say we have on our Island.

Rannoch Moor, Skye, Torridon, Assynt are all infinitely more unique and more interesting.
 
SFTPhotography said:
Rannoch Moor, Skye, Torridon, Assynt are all infinitely more unique and more interesting.
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This I’d have to argue with. They are without doubt fantastic, interesting, locations but are overdone to the point of being cliched (sorry can’t work out how to punctuate that correctly on my phone :LOL:) tripod holes that seem to stifle any attempt at creative thought. All good for a beginner that wants to roll up for an easy, nice image but sometimes stretching oneself in a hard to shoot location can be more gratifying :)
 
Hadron said:
This I’d have to argue with. They are without doubt fantastic, interesting, locations but are overdone to the point of being cliched (sorry can’t work out how to punctuate that correctly on my phone :LOL:) tripod holes that seem to stifle any attempt at creative thought. All good for a beginner that wants to roll up for an easy, nice image but sometimes stretching oneself in a hard to shoot location can be more gratifying :)
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You can stretch yourself in an interesting location, catch it in lovely and/or dramatic and exciting conditions.

I've heard this before - that somehow going to a dull place is stretching yourself...yet going to an interesting place is somehow easy.

In reality one is an exercise in turd polishing and the other is well, fine dining.

Looking at the woodland style - they really DO all look the same.
 
Well I love woodland image personally, all so unique and challenging in their own way. plus living down in the far Southeast corner of the country locations like Rannoch Moor are just not possible for me. Been twice to Rannoch Moor and it is breathtaking location and stunning drive.
 
Hadron said:
This I’d have to argue with. They are without doubt fantastic, interesting, locations but are overdone to the point of being cliched (sorry can’t work out how to punctuate that correctly on my phone :LOL:) tripod holes that seem to stifle any attempt at creative thought. All good for a beginner that wants to roll up for an easy, nice image but sometimes stretching oneself in a hard to shoot location can be more gratifying :)
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A narrow path that most Landscape Togs are aware of is surely more a Tripod Hole location than the vast expanses of Rannoch Moor etc. I certainly have a marker on Google Maps for the exact location the winning image is taken from. That being said I quite like the winner, it doesn't blow me away though. I also really like the youth winner and looking at the others in that category I may well have picked it as a winner too. I don't submit to the competition so hard to be too critical of the judges. My view on images is that whether they are known views or not that shouldn't matter. It should be about the image not where it was taken
 
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I'm sure I wouldn't have picked that image as the overall winner, it's okay, but nothing that evokes emotion in me, I can guarantee there would be other images which would connect with me emotively and have that amazing sense of wonder about them.

I do agree there are a lot of places which have been overdone - I'm not averse to visiting honeypot locations. But I always see them as opportunities to be original, to try different compositions and express my feelings of the place and how I felt at the time in a unique and personal way.

Too often I see images of honeypot locations where there is seemingly no desire of the photographer to make an image like that - and they just look like a copy of a copy of a copy, as though the tripod has been put on the same bit of ground and the subject is in the exact same part of the composition etc.

I'm almost put off going to see _that_ lone tree in Wales because I've literally seen about 300 photographs of it across social media, and they basically all look the same.
 
Every year it is the same. Initially I go WOW!!. Then I think I could do better. And then, after examining the images more closely, I find that they are really good indeed and I would be very happy if I had taken them. Generally though, I am inspired (and not a little envious)
 
Are the submissions digital or in print form for LPOTY. I judge quite a lot of photography competitions at a club level(Vauxhall Conference at best compared to the Premiership LPOTY). You sometimes see images digitally and in print at different times and it can make a massive difference especially to that initial impact feeling.
 
99.9% of people do not care if the photograph is at a honeypot location or not. Only some photographers seem to mind. Most people that look at a photograph or would be considering buying it will not be photographers.
I will shoot for the 99.9% the rest can gather in a small group in the corner and grumble to each other :D
 
I saw an interesting post on Twitter. One of the people who had a highly commended in the comp went to the Exhiition in London and his image was not on display. Also many of the images on display were bunched together in a small montage of images in really small sizes - and even worse was some of them had been "cropped" boith there and in the book - don't know if this is true though?
 
Point and Shoot said:
I saw an interesting post on Twitter. One of the people who had a highly commended in the comp went to the Exhiition in London and his image was not on display. Also many of the images on display were bunched together in a small montage of images in really small sizes - and even worse was some of them had been "cropped" boith there and in the book - don't know if this is true though?
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I wouldn't believe anything online, especially twitter :D
 
photographer100 said:
I wouldn't believe anything online, especially twitter :D
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That's all correct, as i'm one of the people whose image wasn't on display as it should have been (had 2 in the book, both emails said each image would be on display), a friend of mine working in london who also had an image commended said it wasn't there.

Cropping / poor display par for the course now, they've been cropping images in the book itself for years.
 
Stuart Mc said:
That's all correct, as i'm one of the people whose image wasn't on display as it should have been (had 2 in the book, both emails said each image would be on display), a friend of mine working in london who also had an image commended said it wasn't there.

Cropping / poor display par for the course now, they've been cropping images in the book itself for years.
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very surprised to hear this. This sort of behaviour with the sub standard winners just Makes it now sound more like a careful thought out money maker instead of an inspiring, impartially judged competition. Makes me wonder if they are looking at more than just the image to decide on a winner.
 
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